Tutorials for Many Indoor & Outdoor Creations

Concrete and cement are strong materials that are easy to cast and are ideal for making your own small home décor or large garden craft projects, such as benches, sculptures, bookends and paperweights. It's a brilliant medium to use to express your creativity because any shape is possible - and it can also be dyed, painted, carved and drilled. Just remember to wear a mask to protect yourself from dust.

Different materials like sand and gravel can be mixed with concrete to alter the texture, so there is scope for experimentation in this area, and there many project ideas below which make full use of the versatility, durability and weight of it.

I hope you find this page inspires you to have a go :)

Concrete Planters

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About Concrete & Cement

Concrete and cement are great materials for building sturdy and durable projects - especially in the garden as sculptures, bird baths and more. You can make your own custom shapes by using existing objects or by making your own moulds in wood, cardboard, plastic, or Styrofoam.

Difference between concrete and cement?

Concrete and cement are often thought to be the same material, however they have important differences.

Concrete is a mixture of water, Portland cement (not a brand name but by far the most popular type of cement) and aggregates (sand and gravel). Cement is therefore an ingredient of concrete and is the 'glue'/'binder' that holds the other parts of concrete together. Concrete is more 'rock-like', stronger and tougher than cement on its own. Large items or load-bearing items are made using concrete. Cement is usually used on its own for smaller crafts.

Cement is a powdery substance made from limestone, sand and clay - which contain the 4 vital ingredients; calcium, silicon, aluminium and iron. Cement comes in a powder, and you mix it with water in order to use it. It then sets and hardens on its own.

What is Hypertufa?

Hypertufa is basically artificial stone and is made with varying combinations of Portland cement, peat moss, sand, perlite and water. It's very versatile and can be used for all kinds of garden art such as planters, stepping stones, decorative columns etc. It can be sculpted free form by hand i.e. it's not necessary to use a mould to cast it into a shape unlike with cement. Hypertufa is also freeze-proof and quite lightweight compared to concrete.

Cement Rhubarb Leaf Casting

A cement casting of a rhubarb leaf, stained with acrylic paints. | Source

Best Amazon Books On This Subject

Concrete is an easy material to use; the main challenge is thinking of a good project. These 5 books offer a large range of ideas for things to make from bowls and planters to mosaics and countertops.

3 Surface Textures or Finishes You Can Try

* A rubber doormat with an open pattern; ornate scroll work is a good choice

* A mold; buy one or DIY a mold (wood or strong cardboard works)

* Concrete; with a bucket and trowel for mixing the concrete

* Wide paintbrush

* Oil lubricant/mold release/cooking oil/light vegetable oil

* Rubber gloves & mask

* Steel wire mesh (optional)

* Saw or large utility knife (optional)

- Prepare your mold for use and brush a light coating of oil on the surfaces that will be contact with the concrete (this step is not essential but is recommended).

- If you are only using a small portion of the doormat for the molding process, then cut out the shape you would like - using a saw or a utility knife. In the diagram I have shown a circle shape being used, and an equal-size circle mold. Cardboard tubing is the easiest way to make a circular mold yourself, whereas shapes with straight sides can be easier to make with wood or by reusing cardboard packaging.

- Pour the concrete into the mold. If you are making a large shape that you think may need extra strength, you can pour half the concrete in, add a layer of wire mesh, then pour in the rest of the concrete. This is optional.

- Brush a light coating of oil onto the rubber doormat, then press it down onto the top of the concrete so that it is embedded as far as you want it to be.

- Leave the concrete to harden and then remove the doormat. There will now be a decorative pattern visible on the concrete surface.

- Remove the concrete from the mold and clean off any oil residue with lightly soaped water.

- Finished!

Idea Two:

Things You Will Need:

* Leaves with texture; thick leaves with lots of large veins work best.

* A mold with a (separate or removable) base.

* Spray adhesive

* Concrete; with a bucket and trowel for mixing the concrete

* Wide paintbrush

* Oil lubricant/mold release/cooking oil/light vegetable oil

* Rubber gloves & mask

- Prepare your mold.

- Spray adhesive on the non-textured side of the leaves and stick them in place on the base of the mold.

DIY Hypertufa Plant Pots

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CLICK HERE for instructions on making your own hypertufa planters. Hypertufa is basically artificial stone and is made with varying combinations of Portland cement, peat moss, sand, perlite and water. It's very versatile and can be used for all kinds of garden art.

Concrete Table Base

This wire mesh is what the concrete will cling to, allowing you to build up concrete shapes such as a table. | Source

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Lee Hansen 2 years agofrom Vermont

I love concrete sand casting and hypertufa garden crafts. I'm prepping to make more leaf castings this summer and to build some large aggregate planters for my garden.

Cynthia Haltom 4 years agofrom Diamondhead

You have some very good idea, I have been pouring concrete mold for my garden for the past couple of weeks. I found some great Valspar spray paint in outdoor colors like terra cotta it looks so good. I think I will try to use some of my broken pottery in some of my new projects. Thanks for the info.